This VM is created for 2 reasons: 1. Very little initial setup work required to make a Help Desk live, within minutes. 2. This system should keep running for Years, without requiring Updates / Breakages.
If you are new to Virtual Machines, then please watch the Video below ( taken from my other project. just replace td with hd wherever mentioned )
After starting this VM, please login to its administration panel with:
Website Address: https://hd.local/
( Accept Any Warnings )
Admin Username: admin
Admin Password: change_this
from any PC on your Local Network.
Then setup your "SMTP Server" details from the Settings -> Email option. This will help in the flow of all emails from the system.
Then setup up your Categories/Departments & Team/Staff Accounts.
Once setup & running, please ensure that a Backup of the system, is taken regularly, to avoid any issues.
These are covered in the video. Google Search helps in finding more about hesk.
Features
- A surprisingly simple, user-friendly and FREE help desk software with integrated knowledgebase.
- The original FREE help desk software that millions use daily.
- Better Customer Support: Use HESK help desk software to organize, track, monitor and resolve customer issues.
- Less Support Work: 86% of users say the integrated knowledgebase decreased the number of their support requests.
- Faster Response Time: Keep customers happy and your team on top of things with the right data at the right time.
- You want repeat, not frustrated customers. Help them resolve common issues quickly by addressing them in the knowledgebase. When needed, they readily submit a question/issue—a support ticket is born.
- Stay in control of your customer support. Prioritize tickets by urgency, organize them into categories and filter them in many convenient ways. Setup staff accounts, restrict their access and functionality, see who is working on what.
- All the information right when you need it. Each support ticket contains request details and lets you talk back and forth with the customer. Assign tickets, add notes, attach files, modify status and track time spent working on a ticket.
- People will love you for it. Canned responses, ticket templates, custom data fields, custom statuses, 100+ options. Your staff and customers will love you for the power and simplicity HESK help desk software brings.
- unlimited personalized accounts for staff, unlimited categories, canned responses, file attachments, fully-featured knowledgebase (articles, categories, search,...) , custom fields in the "Submit a ticket" form, anti-SPAM checks when submitting a ticket, powerful ticket search functions, e-mail notifications of new tickets and replies, rating of staff replies and knowledgebase articles, autoclose tickets after X days, easy-to-use web interface, easy to translate to any language, and many more!
- As this system is meant for local network usage, it uses a self-signed https certificate. Hence, browsers will throw a warning for the first time. Please accept the same and proceed ahead.
- If you do not have a "SMTP Server" already, then it is very easy, to get a new one, by searching on Google for "Cloud Email Solution for Business" in your area/country. This Email solution must support "SMTP Connectivity" from a PHP Based Email Client, that the HESK Software uses. Optionally, these solutions also give you storage facilities for sent emails, as well. The cost for all this, including a new business email domain name, may come up to 10 $ per year. Also, note that the free email providers like Gmail do not support SMTP Connectivity from a PHP Based Email Client, by default. Here is an example of a provider, that supports "SMTP Connectivity" : https://businessemail.rediff.com/email-for-startup?sc_cid=rpro|homepage_email_for_startup I myself purchased a new email id along with a new domain name from this provider and it went live within 4 hours, working flawlessesly. Feel free to choose your own provider from your area/country.
- If you like HESK ( as i did ), you can support its development efforts, by purchasing a license. Just click on its links, mentioned in the application.
- A small correction in the Video below: Choose a LAN Card Network Adapter Connection in Virtualbox ( Not Wifi ), after connecting your PC to your Router / Switch, with a LAN Cable. If the Router / Switch has a DHCP Server enabled inside, then the Virtual Machine, will be able to obtain an IP Address from it, quickly.
- Please save this webpage completely, for future references.
- Increase CPU Count and Memory in the VM's Settings, as required, for better performance